I’m focused on you and your needs, goals, and objectives. I help individuals, families, and businesses to create a sound strategy for the future. We will focus on reducing bad debt, saving money, and protecting those things that are most valuable to you. I help people reach their dreams.
My Financial Journey
Here is the story of my financial journey.
As a pre-teen, I had chores around the house, for which I earned $.25 every week if I did my chores. I had a blue plastic teddy bear piggy bank. I stashed my collection of quarters in the teddy bear.
When I was ten, the paperboy that delivered to our house was graduating from High School and would be leaving town for college. My parents identified this as an opportunity for me to start a job where I would have responsibilities, have to handle money and cashflow, and I would in a way be my own boss. The route averaged 90 daily customers, and I delivered papers 6 days a week. I made about $5 a day. I had to not only deliver the papers, but also then collect from the customers. In addition, I had to pay the publisher for the papers. As this was before the creation of e-transfer, this meant every other Saturday one of my parents drove me out to the news office where I paid for the papers.
My parents ensured that on day 1 of having the paper route, I had a bank account. After paying the News, we would stop at the bank where I deposited any extra money. Over time my savings account grew, so I invested the money I didn’t have a near term need for in GICs.
Before I turned 18, my parents made sure I knew what an RRSP was, and the reasons to invest in it. (See What is an RRSP).
The Military Years
I worked hard in school so that I would have a full scholarship to University (Royal Roads Military College). I am not alone in this, I had peers who had co-op programs lined up for their schooling. At RRMC, the Director of Cadets asked all of us first years who had insurance. When some of us raised our hands, he asked “why”? (See Do I need Insurance?) In our specific case, the military would pay our funeral expenses. Because we had to be single to attend RRMC, and most of us started straight out of High School, none of us had dependents (not that I know of).
Out of college, my father and I opened a computer sales and service shop. This led to my working as a contract employee at the local hospital in their computer department. Once that contract expired I went to a local company that made the Tills/Backoffice software that Shoppers was running. I was one of the frontline support as well as tester for the bugs and new releases.
Corporate Employee
2 Years after graduating with my B.Sc, I moved to Calgary for a job with a large corporation working in I.T. I filled roles from Help Desk to Software developer, Project Manage (PM) and Business Analyst (BA). My job was outsourced to IBM where I continued to perform PM and BA roles.
Investing in the Stock Market
One of the teams I was on had me travelling to different cities. One of the team members was day trading. The moment we got into the office he was online buying and selling stocks. Each night after work he was reading the day’s newspaper in the financial section and looking at the movement of the market.
Watching him trade peaked my interest. Up to that point I had only invested in GICs, Bonds and Mutual funds through the Bank or through a broker. I read many newsletters (most were trying to pump their stock of the day), the Motley Fool (back when they were educating investors) and books on how Warren Buffet chose the companies for Berkshire Hathaway to invest in.
I opened a trade account through my bank, and I was off. Using the Motley Fool and other newsletters for ideas and applying Warren Buffet’s principals I was reasonably successful.
House Ownership
Upon taking that first job in Calgary, I rented an apartment. In month 11 my dad asked me if I planned on buying a house (See Should I buy a house or rent?). I found a realtor and looked at a lot of houses that were in my price range.
Once the house was selected (buy in Airdrie, get the same 1100 square feet for the same dollars as in Country Hills, but on 1 level instead of split over 4, plus get the basement and double attached garage as a bonus) the realtor lined me up with a mortgage broker.
Every year, if I had money in the bank after my RRSPs were filled I put extra money down on the mortgage. Any bonuses from my employer mostly went on the mortgage. 11 years into the 25 year mortgage, it was paid off. 9 years later I am still in the same house.
In my 30’s I started investing on my own through a Self Directed RRSP, as well as a registered trade account (I later added the TFSA once they came into existence).
Landlord
After attending some Rich Dad in Canada events I got into real estate. I converted some of the success in the stock market into houses!
The great part was being on the upward trend of the real estate market. The bad part was the tenants who were less committed to the tenant-landlord relationship than I was.
After 18 months I divested myself of the properties, making a reasonable return on my investment in addition to the positive cash flow I had during the ownership.
Laid Off
After being employed by large corporations in the I.T. realm for 16 years, the local office was severely downsized and I found myself unemployed. Fortunately I had sufficient savings, investments and TFSAs set up I was in a position to work on my businesses and be set until the “traditional” retirement age when I would start drawing out of my RRSP. Of course fate intervened and I met my wife, but that didn’t change the picture too badly.
Small Business Owner
I own and operate a few businesses/partnerships. I teach the bagpipes. I sell Kilts, bagpipes, drums etc. And now I am also an agent within the Financial Services realm.
Hobbies and Personal
When I am not working on my businesses I have a few hobbies. One of which is I run a pipe band.
In addition, I am involved in Model Railroading. I have an HO scale model in my basement and a G scale in my back yard.
Every year I take a trip with my wife. One year it will be to Vancouver, and the next it will be an international destination.
I also like to tinker with technology. I program web based applications including interfaces between the various software I use to run my businesses. I am also playing with Artificial Intelligence and Chatbots.